Club 80-90 Forums

im guessing the frosty morning arent helping things, but the battery for the van isnt starting it up in the mornings. so am jumping it off my leisure battery at the moment. theres always a little in the car battery, just not enough to start it. does it sound like the battery has gone?
is there a battery to get thats specifically recommended?
cheers

I can't answer your question but is your leisure battery a car battery or a true deep cycle battery? If it's a deep cycle you'll be needing a new one of them soon too. They are designed for slow discharge rather than short bursts of high power.

you need to charge your battery for 24hrs then leave it stood for another 24hrs then check the voltage. if its not 12v then its time to replace it.
and using your leisure battery to start your van is definatley a no no...

Check your connections on the starter motor and any negatives you can find, the cold should not make that much difference but a dodgy starter will.

check the levels in the battery(s) as cold will make the chemical reaction that makes a battery work less effective, the cold shows a weak battery up every time.....
as Rob says, give it a good SLOW charge, chances are your alternator isnt giving it back everything that starting your van takes out of it this time of year, with heater fans, wipers and lights being used so much more in these winter months, even more so if you have a split charge that isnt switchable on those short journeys to and from work.....